Chapter 355: Lady Comes to Shanghai

Office.

Jiang Jianfeng looked at the stack of reports, overjoyed:

"Hong Zhiyou, from the supplies confiscated from the Wang family alone, there is as much as twenty million US dollars.

"With this batch of supplies, as long as they are managed properly, we can at least guarantee the livelihood of the people of Shanghai for three months without worry.

"The Gold Yuan notes can be considered stabilized."

"Indeed, the Director's thunderous methods and heavy medicine have truly proven effective," Hong Zhiyou flattered.

"However, the biggest trouble right now is still the Kong family.

"The Kong family's Yangtze Company occupies a monopolistic position; if we don't pry what's in their mouths out, it will be difficult for the people's livelihood to radiate from Shanghai to other cities.

"Moreover, with this economic reform and tiger-beating campaign, countless eyes across the country are watching.

"If we don't take down this fierce tiger, I fear it will be difficult to implement this thoroughly."

Hong Zhiyou continued.

"I have also considered the situation you mentioned.

"Zhiyou.

"My blade has already been sharpened.

"No matter who he is, he must be cut down.

"I will convene another meeting tomorrow; have Du Yuesheng prepare on his end."

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Jianfeng made up his mind.

"This subordinate will surely follow to the death to take down the Kong family," Hong Zhiyou stood at attention and declared.

"Good, with your help, why worry about not achieving this great task?

"This time, we must take down Kong Lingkan!"

October 21st.

Jiang Jianfeng convened the business meeting once again.

With the bloody examples of Wang Chunzhe and Zhang Yaqu before them, the chill of the tiger-beating campaign had already permeated the entire Shanghai Bund.

The wealthy merchants were all terrified, fearing the butcher's knife would fall upon their own heads.

The last "fortress" led by Kong Lingkan was already tottering.

Eight o'clock in the evening.

Central Bank Building.

Unlike the previous meeting, the entrance was no longer filled with a rain of luxury cars.

Most wealthy merchants chose rickshaws, and their attire was simple—Zhongshan suits or long gowns—each one keeping an extremely low profile, fearing they might attract Jiang Jianfeng's "gaze."

Upon entering the conference hall, even with wine glasses in hand, no one dared to speak loudly or laugh; most remained silent, and occasional exchanges were mere whispers.

"Boss Du has arrived."

Following a loud shout from the usher at the door.

Du Yuesheng, dressed in a black long gown, walked in.

Tonight, he had to come.

Because Du Weiping was about to be formally transferred from the detention room to prison.

At the same time, he had to exhaust all his strength to cooperate with Jiang Jianfeng in sounding the final bugle call for the charge, in exchange for Du Weiping's true freedom.

As a seasoned agitator.

He knew there was no retreat tonight; he could only follow Jiang Jianfeng all the way to the end to exchange for the safety of his family's lives and property.

"Boss Du."

The crowd greeted him one after another; Kong Lingkan was not attending the meeting today, so Du Yuesheng was the only one present who could represent the collective will.

Du Yuesheng bowed slightly to the left and right, found his seat, and sat down, closing his eyes and saying nothing more.

Seeing him like this, the others did not dare to ask much and returned to their seats, disgruntled.

"The Director has arrived," followed by a loud shout from the guard.

Jiang Jianfeng walked in with great imposing authority.

"Director."

"Greetings, Director."

The crowd made way, nodding and bowing to offer greetings.

Looking at the fawning faces, Jiang Jianfeng was in a very good mood.

Sure enough, majesty lies only in the size of one's fist.

Whoever has the harder fist can truly control the right to speak and win more respect.

Reaching the podium.

Jiang Jianfeng used a more severe tone to deliver his report, simultaneously announcing that the purchase price would be lowered to fifty percent of the market price.

The purchase was the "carrot," the benevolence.

What followed was the "stick": within three days, anyone who did not voluntarily apply for the purchase would, upon discovery by the Management Committee, have their assets confiscated and be punished with the utmost severity.

In an instant, the trembling wealthy merchants regretted their actions to the core.

"Everyone, here is a voluntary agreement.

"Those willing to hand over their grain, sign your names on the paper; Secretary Hong will be responsible for the purchase matters.

"I hope you all know what is good for you."

Jiang Jianfeng pointed at the crowd and said sternly.

Fifty percent!

This was basically a price of bloody loss.

Some of the grain the wealthy merchants had originally collected had been transported from Southeast Asia, Xiangdao, and other places at huge shipping costs; the transportation fees alone were not small.

Others had been leaked from the hands of the Americans and Kong Lingkan, also at prices far higher than the market rate.

The reason they were unwilling to sell at market price initially was because there was no profit.

Only by hoarding and driving the price of livelihood supplies up to five or ten times higher could they make a great profit.

At the highest point, it had been driven up to twenty times.

Now, selling at fifty percent of the market price was basically losing everything down to their underwear.

Immediately, someone fainted on the spot in the venue.

"You only have three days; no late applications will be accepted!"

Jiang Jianfeng left this sentence with an expressionless face and stood up to leave.

Just then, Du Yuesheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly stood up and said in a booming voice: "Director Jiang, stay your step! I, Du, have something to say."

"Please speak, Boss Du," Jiang Jianfeng asked with a smile, his hands behind his back.

"My son, Weiping, hoarded supplies, violating national law; he deserves his punishment.

"For this, I have already handed over all the hoarded items in response to the country's call.

"But Director Jiang just kept saying that we must be just and fair, and that if there is a tiger, it must be beaten.

"I wonder if those words still hold true?"

Du Yuesheng looked him straight in the eye and asked in a deep voice.

"Of course.

"My word is my bond; it is no child's play," Jiang Jianfeng frowned slightly.

"Good!

"Since it is fair and just, it does not matter if we hand over our goods and take a loss.

"But the fierce tiger of Shanghai is not among those present; we are at most mere foxes and wolves.

"Everyone knows that the source of grain in Jinhai and the American aid are all controlled by Kong Lingkan's Yangtze Company, which has hoarded over twenty thousand tons of grain alone.

"And that is only what can be verified; the unverified and uninvestigable amounts might even exceed one hundred thousand tons.

"Not to mention other livelihood supplies like white sugar, salt, and oil.

"Kong Lingkan's Yangtze Company is the true fierce tiger, the head tiger, that controls the life and death of the people.

"If he can eat meat, why can't we drink the soup?

"Since Director Jiang keeps talking about fairness, may I ask where the justice is, and whose home the fairness resides in?

"If the Director cannot give us an explanation today, how can you convince the masses?

"I, Du Yuesheng, and my thirty thousand Green Gang disciples will not agree, the three thousand merchants of Jiangzhe will not agree, and the million masses of Shanghai will not agree."

Du Yuesheng held his head high, his gaze like a torch, his resonant and powerful voice echoing in the hall.

Once these words were spoken, the crowd was in an uproar.

As expected of Boss Du, he actually dared to confront Jiang Jianfeng head-on.

He even sold out Kong Lingkan in the process.

This was forcing Jiang Jianfeng into a corner and roasting him on a fire, a case of mutual destruction.

"As expected of Boss Du, what great courage."

"Even the Kong family has been exposed; I think Boss Du's good days are coming to an end too."

"Let's see how he, Jiang Jianfeng, beats this tiger."

The crowd below was buzzing with discussion.

"Quiet, quiet," Long Tao shouted.

Once the venue was quiet, Jiang Jianfeng said with a calm expression: "The words of Du Batou are deafening. I will reiterate: no matter who it is, no matter how high their status, as long as they dare to violate the national law, I, Jiang, will certainly bring them to justice."

"Empty words and clichés—who doesn't know how to say those?

"Since that is the case.

"Then please, Director Jiang, investigate the Yangzi Company and arrest Kong Lingkan now.

"Since your great army and tanks could break into the Green Gang headquarters.

"I believe surrounding the Kong family mansion should not be a difficult task."

Du Yuesheng pressed him with logic, his momentum aggressive.

"The Kong family already released a batch of grain the day before yesterday. I checked the ledgers and there was nothing unusual. I wonder if Mr. Du has any evidence?" Jiang Jianfeng said righteously.

"Who doesn't know how to cook the books?

"What the Yangzi Company has handed over is merely a drop in the bucket.

"I have a list of warehouses here, and everything stored inside belongs to the Kong family.

"Since the Director is fond of using thunderous methods, you should treat everyone equally.

"I ask that you immediately, right now, seal the warehouses of the Kong family... and investigate!"

Du Yuesheng looked straight at Jiang Jianfeng, his tone like iron.

"Du Batou, have you lost your mind? What are you babbling about?"

"That's right, this is clearly a frame-up!"

Below, some of Kong Lingkan's henchmen began to shout.

"Whether it is true or false, won't we know everything once we seal it?

"Since we are hunting tigers, we should head toward the tiger mountain.

"If there is no such fairness, these scraps of paper are not worth signing."

Du Yuesheng, in front of Jiang Jianfeng, tore up the acquisition contract on the table.

"Du Yuesheng, you are presumptuous," Hong Zhiyou shouted.

"Weiping is in prison, yet Kong Lingkan remains free and at ease.

"There is no such justice in the world.

"Director, are you going to investigate the Kong family or not? Please give us an answer."

Du Yuesheng said, showing no fear.

Jiang Jianfeng stared at him for a few seconds, then coldly spat out one word:

"Investigate!"

"Long Tao, immediately take men to seal the Yangzi Company and the warehouse list provided by Mr. Du."

He waved his hand and issued the order immediately.

"Good!

"Then we shall wait for the Director's good news."

Du Yuesheng grabbed his hat, placed it on his head, flicked his long gown, and turned to leave.

……

Jiang Jianfeng returned to his office.

"Phew!"

He unbuttoned his collar and let out a slight sigh: "Finally, I can go after the Kong family in a legitimate way. It was hard on Du Batou, though."

"Regarding that last batch of goods, I followed your instructions and didn't let him lose money.

"Furthermore, he is burdened by the gang, and being of age, he has long wanted to retire to Xiangdao to live out his remaining years in peace.

"Now, before leaving, he can still sell the Director a favor; it can be considered a clean getaway."

Hong Zhiyou smiled.

"Hmm, Du Yuesheng is a smart man.

"What follows is the real hard battle.

"Zhiyou, you have a fleet and good relations with the Americans; your strength is solid. I intend to seal the Yangzi Company and have you take charge of the livelihood sector. How about it?"

Jiang Jianfeng put his hands on his hips and pointed at Hong Zhiyou.

The reason he was held back everywhere within the party, and even had his Youth League ruined, was largely due to a lack of money.

Why could the Song, Kong, and Chen families call the wind and summon the rain?

It was because they had money and industries in their hands.

In this day and age, how many people who come out to make a revolution don't love money? Without money, it is very difficult to win people over.

Why was Li Zongren able to squeeze out Sun Ke and become Vice President?

That had an inseparable connection to him scattering money by the handful in Jinling to solicit votes with Ma Hansan.

Otherwise, would Father have let Mao Renfeng and Wang Puchen go for the kill?

Through these days of observation, Jiang Jianfeng saw the shrewd and loyal side of Hong Zhiyou. If Hong Zhiyou could replace Kong Lingkan, he would have a steady stream of funds—why worry about not being able to grow stronger?

"Director, your... your subordinate cannot afford such a responsibility," Hong Zhiyou said, terrified.

Replacing the Kong family was something he absolutely dared not think about.

The Jiang, Song, and Kong families were one.

When they fought among themselves, anything could be said; even if they broke bones, it wouldn't be fatal.

If an outsider like him got mixed in, that would be one against three—undoubtedly courting death.

Moreover, the red flag was about to be planted soon.

Getting involved at this time was undoubtedly seeking his own destruction.

He came here purely to offer a "pledge of allegiance" to Jiang Jianfeng, so that he could do business with Wandao smoothly in the future.

Besides, with the lousy hand Jiang Jianfeng held, wanting to go all-in against Lady Jiang and Kong Xiangxi—to put it bluntly—was a bit naive and overestimating his own strength.

Being able to checkmate Kong Lingkan and gain some political capital was already quite good.

Hong Zhiyou was not stupid enough to get himself dragged into it.

"What, you are unwilling?" Jiang Jianfeng frowned.

"Director, it is that your subordinate is not qualified. The power of allocation lies only in the hands of the Generalissimo.

"At present, our difficulty lies with the Lady."

Hong Zhiyou said very tactfully.

To be precise, when dealing with the foreigners, the power to allocate business actually lay in the hands of the Lady; Hong Zhiyou just couldn't state it explicitly.

At the mention of the Lady, Jiang Jianfeng's full-blooded enthusiasm and fantasies instantly cooled by more than half.

"You are right.

"The Yangzi Company has the Lady's shares; the grain aid and import pricing are all determined by Kong Lingkan's mood.

"To excise this piece of rotten flesh, one must win over the Lady.

"This is a bitter and difficult task."

Jiang Jianfeng sighed.

"Actually, there is a solution; we still have to look at the source.

"To stabilize livelihood supplies, the key is the source. We can seal the Yangzi Company, or we can change the person doing the business.

"But this person cannot be me, nor can it be someone else.

"It can only be found from the Song family.

"Mr. Song Ziliang is 'deeply righteous' and 'generous' this time, while the Kong family is like a rat crossing the street that everyone shouts to beat; the Song family has an advantage in public opinion.

"Secondly, the Song family's Jinshan Foreign Trade Company has rich experience in foreign trade.

"Crucially, the Song brothers have always been at odds with Kong Lingkan.

"If you let them take over the grain business, for the Lady, one side is a nephew she relies on, and the other is her own younger brother. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to help either, and in the end, she would still have to ask the Generalissimo to make the final decision.

"The Generalissimo naturally favors you, so this business can only fall to the Song family."

Hong Zhiyou analyzed carefully.

"The Song family?

"I fear they are birds of a feather," Jiang Jianfeng frowned.

"Yes.

"But with your prestige from this tiger hunt, they will at least be more restrained than Kong Lingkan.

"Director, you cannot stay in Shanghu forever."

As an outsider, Hong Zhiyou knew well that he could only play along with Jiang Jianfeng up to this point.

"Sigh.

"I'm just afraid that the moment I leave, the Gold Yuan Coupons will collapse again, and the common people won't have food to eat.

"I understand, you may go."

Jiang Jianfeng felt inexplicably exhausted.

……

Hong Zhiyou left the building and went straight to a public telephone booth on the side of the road. After confirming that there was no one around, he dialed Yu Zecheng's number:

"Old Yu, the Generalissimo is currently in Beiping. Have Old Xie keep an eye on the movements of the 94th Army."

"Yes."

"It is very important."

"Alright, rest assured, Senior Sister is fine."

"What a dawdler!"

Bang!

Hong Zhiyou hung up the phone.

According to history, around the 23rd, Fu Zuoyi would finalize the "Heart-Piercing Plan" and send Zheng Tingfeng to launch a surprise attack on Xibaipo.

This operation used a special code and was publicly claimed to be the "Aid-Jin Operation," which could be described as sinister and treacherous.

Obtaining and sending out this intelligence at the time was extremely difficult.

Hong Zhiyou could not make it back in time, so letting Old Xie take precautions could be considered building up some capital for Old Xie.

In case there were business dealings in the future that required Old Xie to travel to the mainland, having the status of a friendly merchant would be better.

Immediately after.

He went to the Song family again, had a private talk for over half an hour, finalized the takeover plan, and then left.

……

Jiang Jianfeng's operation was very efficient.

That evening, the inspection team sealed the warehouse of the Yangtze Company and simultaneously arrested the company's warehouse director, seizing a full three hundred thousand tons of grain, supplies, and other goods.

The next day.

Eight o'clock in the morning.

The manager of the Yangtze Company, Meng Zichao, hurried to the living room.

"Housekeeper Hu, has Young Master Kong not gotten up yet?" Meng Zichao asked with an anxious face.

"Not yet, I'm afraid it will be a while," Housekeeper Hu replied.

"Oh my."

"I have an urgent matter to report, can you please help me urge him?" Meng Zichao stomped his feet in anxiety.

"Manager Meng, please don't make things difficult for me."

"You know Young Master Kong's habits; even if the sky were falling, one cannot disturb his rest."

Housekeeper Hu shook his head, unable to help.

Kong Lingkan had many eccentric habits.

For example, he would always unplug the phone line when sleeping and did not allow anyone to knock on the door to disturb him; a servant had once been severely beaten for this very reason.

After waiting for another half hour, Kong Lingkan, wearing pajamas, stretched his arms and slowly walked down the stairs.

"Young Master Kong, something has happened," Meng Zichao said.

"What is it?" Kong Lingkan said.

"The company's warehouse has been sealed by Jiang Jianfeng, and Director Xu has also been taken away by the inspection team. Young Master Kong, Jiang Jianfeng is currently organizing men to haul away the goods."

"If you don't take action, those tens of thousands of tons of supplies will all be confiscated."

Meng Zichao said.

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Kong Lingkan said in great shock.

"Your, your phone wouldn't go through."

"I've been waiting outside since four o'clock, and I've only just seen you now," Meng Zichao said.

"Good for you, Jiang Jianfeng, you actually dared to target me!"

Kong Lingkan hurried back upstairs, picked up the phone, and quickly dialed the number; it was connected soon:

"Third Aunt, it's me, Lingkan."

"Jiang Jianfeng has raided my company. I can't do anything about this mad dog; I'll have to trouble you to come over in person."

"Alright, I await your arrival."

……

Several hours later.

Lady Jiang's car drove into the Kong residence.

"Brother-in-law, Eldest Sister."

"I know all about Lingkan's matter, but this time Jiang Jianfeng came to Shanghai to investigate hoarding under the instruction of the Generalissimo, so it is difficult for me to intervene."

"Furthermore, stabilizing the Gold Yuan Coupon is of vital importance to Shanghai."

"In my opinion, it is better to temporarily avoid the sharp edge."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lady Jiang got straight to the point.

She knew that the war at the front was tight, Jiang Jianfeng was "beating tigers," and the Generalissimo was scraping together military funds.

Excessive interference at this time would undoubtedly disrupt the Generalissimo's plans.

Lady Jiang still knew how to weigh the importance of things.

"Temporarily avoid the sharp edge."

"Aunt, the front lines are suffering defeat after defeat; it's uncertain how many more days we can make money. If this batch of goods is lost, our money will have been thrown away for nothing."

"Besides, Jiang Jianfeng raided my warehouse; apart from gaining an empty reputation, what else is there?"

"Using your money and mine to buy the cheers of the lowly masses."

"Heh, his calculations are certainly precise."

"If my company is sealed this time and I lose the brokerage rights for grain, he will take further action against the Kong and Song families."

"Aunt, don't forget his surname is Jiang."

"His mother is also not... you."

Kong Lingkan said in a chilling tone.

These words struck a chord in Lady Jiang's heart.

Why did she want to win over Mao Renfeng and the others if not for the fear that Jiang Jianfeng would grow too powerful and pose a threat to the Kong and Song families?

Raiding the Kong family!

Jiang Jianfeng had not yet established his influence; if he were not checked today, it would be even harder to suppress him in the future.

No.

This precedent must absolutely not be set.

Thinking of this, Lady Jiang frowned and said, "Let's do this: I will arrange for Jiang Jianfeng to come over, and we will talk about it together."

……

(End of chapter)